Repair sleeve for scythes



D. WINTERFELD REPAIR SLEEVE FOR SCYTHES Oct. 15, 1929.

Filed NOV. 14, 1927 Patented Get. 15, 192

STATES DELBERT WINTERFELD, F S IO'UX CENTER, IOWA REPAIR SLEEVE FOR SCYTHES Application filed November 14, 1927. Serial No. 233,065.

My invention relates to repair sleeves for scythe snathes and has for its object to provide a sleeve which may be used for repair purposes.

More particularly it is my object to provide a repair sleeve which will transform a split or badly worn end of a snathe into a serviceable condition that will last indefinitely.

My invention has for its object further to accomplish the foregoing results in a simple but effective manner.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claim, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a scythe equipped with a repair snathe, constructed according to my invention.

Fig, 2 is a sectional view through the snathe.

Fig. 3 is a transverse, sectional view through the same.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the repair element.

Fig. 5 is a view of the modified form of the element.

Most of the scythes now in use are equipped with an eye bolt passing through the end of the scythe handle, adapted to receive the shank of the scythe blade and. to be tightened thereagainst. The pressure to which this eye bolt is submitted is usually sufficient to either wear or crack the wooden portion of the scythe snathe until finally the eye bolt will no longer rigidly retain the blade of the scythe.

An ordinary scythe snathe has been indicated at in Fig. 1. The blade is shown at 11 and has a. shank 12 which is extended through the usual eye bolt 13 and is provided with a hooked finger 14, ordinarily resting in one of the series of openings in a plate covering a cavity 16 in the snathe 10.

This plate is removed and is replaced by the repair sleeve of my invention.

The pressure transmitted to the slot 17 which receives the eye bolt 13 has a tendency to crack the end-of the snathe somewhat as illustrated in the drawings, the greatest amount of cracking and Wear-taking place near the head of the bolt. Portions of the snathe are likely to split off and ultimately the eye bolt will not receive enough support from the snathe to hold it rigidly against the pressure to which it is submitted. When this happens, it is ordinarily necessary to obtain a new snathe.

With the implement of my invention, a snathe which has become so cracked as to be utterly unserviceable, may be quickly transformed to a condition almost as good as new without discarding the eye bolt or in any way altering the snathe except the removal of the plate hereinbefore referred to.

My invention employs a sleeve of sheet metal, shaped to fit the end of the snathe and capable of being tightly drawn around the snathe so as to bundle together the cracked fibres of the snathe and securely clamp them against displacement relative to each other. With these fibres securely held in frictional engagement with each other, the weakness resulting from cracking and separating of the split portions of the end of the snathe is overcome and substantially a solid shaft is again provided.

In order to attain this result, I provide a sleeve designated generally by the reference character 18 having one side flattened as at 19 to register with the flattened portion 20 of the snathe and provided with openings 20 and a slot 21 to receive the hooked end 14 of the shank 12 and to receive the eye bolt 18 respectively.

The sheet metal, of which the sleeve 18 is made is flexible enough to be drawn tightly around the end of the snathe 10 and is pro vided with flanges 22bordering a slit at one of its sides. In the flanges 22 are registering openings 23, receiving bolts 24 provided with nuts 25. The bolts 24 and nuts 25 are employed to tighten the sleeve around the snathe 10, the sleeve being thus held in place and also thereby serving to gather together the split portions of the snathe and hold them firmly.

I am aware that scythe snathes embodying the metallic sleeves encircling the ends of the snathes are not new and that a split sleeve construction has been employed in connection with a solely metallic snathe construction. However, such constructions have been for the purpose of providing original strength and utility in scythe snathes and not for the purpose of: repair. My invention accomplishes the result of'renewing a worn-out 1O snathe so as to restore its original strength and utility.

In some cases, the snathe is so weakened near the eye bolt opening, that it is necessary to exert more pressure at that region than at points distant therefrom, and for such a condition, I provide the sleeve shown in Fig. 5, in which the rounded portion of the sleeve at the eye bolt end, is flared as at 2'6. The flanges 22 are correspondingly flared,

Z0 and when the flared ends of the flanges are drawn together, the pressure of the sleeve is centered at the line adjoining the flared and parallel portions of the sleeve (indicated at 27). The result is to give the sleeve a firmer grip on what remains of the end of the snathe, and loosening of the sleeve, which might otherwise result, is checked.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement oi the parts of my invention without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claim, any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents, which may be reasonably included within its scope.

I claim as my invention:

A repair sleeve for scythe snathes comprising a sleeve of sheet metal shaped to conform generally with the exterior of the end portion of a snathe and adapted to conform itself under pressure to the shape of said snathe, said sleeve being provided with a transverse slot and an opening to receive an eye bolt. and a shank linger, respectively, and being longitudinally split at one side and provided with a pair of parallel flanges bordering said split end, a plurality of bolts for drawing said flanges toward each other.

Signed this 81st day of October, 1927, in

K0 the county of Sioux and State of Iowa.

DELBERT WINTERFELD. 

